The fine line between the cure and the illness: the risks of prescriptive emotionality and sociality for youth mental health

Summary: School-based initiatives are increasingly promoted as solutions to the youth mental health crisis, with Social Emotional Learning (SEL) among the most widely adopted frameworks worldwide. While designed to foster healthy socio-emotional development, evidence for SEL’s long-term mental health benefits remains mixed. Concerns are also growing that universal, non-targeted SEL programs may inadvertently pathologize normal developmental experiences, reinforce self-monitoring, or generate cultural mismatches that undermine resilience. In this personal view, we examine key challenges associated with universal (i.e., non-targeted and intended for all students regardless of baseline risk) school-based programs modeled on SEL. While acknowledging their potential to promote youth well-being, we argue that prescriptive approaches to emotions and sociality can foster confusion among families, resistance among youth, and unintended distress. We highlight risks stemming from conceptual ambiguities and variability in implementation. Rather than abandoning universal programs, we call for rigorous evaluation, cultural adaptation, and integration within broader ecosocial-strategies to foster authentic, context-sensitive resilience in youth.